Some of its features were "Limbo" (a room described as an "endless mist" which characters started at), the Hellgate Pocket Dimensions Nexus, which led players to various locations, some which had Nexi of their own, and the Crystal Palace, a very large Hotel for people to build from.

TinyHELL was put online in December, 1989 using the TinyMUD code just after its initial release by the author. Run by two student employees at the University of Oklahoma Engineering Computer Network, it lasted for several months before being replaced by successive MUD servers.

TinyHELL was the originating point for several modifications to the TinyMUD code base, including the first addition of the whisper command[1] and the HAVEN and ABODE flags.